© 1991 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
| The Urantia Book as a Sermon Resource | Fall 1991 — Index | Significant Books: Global Responsibility: In Search of a New Ethic By Hans Kung |
This feature is written by ministers. Since The Urantia Book at this point in time is potentially controversial, the name of the author is sometimes withheld so as not to interfere with his or her rapport in ministry.
Spiritual renewal is primarily an experiential process. I doubt if The Urantia Book or any other “outside” source can bring about spiritual renewal unless experience has prepared the ground for spiritual growth and there is an active longing and search for more encompassing truth and a larger vision of Reality.
Before true spiritual growth is possible, one must have graduated from the second hand religion of one’s family and culture, and evolved a strong and living personal faith. Those who are prepared for significant spiritual renewal have transcended the limited authoritarian view of scripture, and developed the courage to think critically and fearlessly. They are comfortable with the latest science, and have cultivated perceptive intelligence and acquired spiritual insight. These liberated souls hunger for truth and are willing to follow wherever it leads.
The above description is a summation of my own intellectual-spiritual pilgrimage before I was introduced to The Urantia Book. To my surprise, I discovered this strange and somewhat audacious book synchronized with my own experience of God and truth. It not only confirmed my own spiritual experience, it opened a vision of Reality that was beyond my highest philosophical and theological expectation. This 2000 page book confirmed, renewed, and revitalized the basic tenants of my faith. This unparalleled vision of spiritual Reality enlarged and enhanced the tried and tested truths by which I lived. Its unique weaving of science, philosophy, and religion into an integrated and unified picture of Reality inspired my imagination and confirmed my faith as nothing had ever done. It filled me with enthusiasm and joy and a desire to share this impossible-possible discovery with my fellows.
The Urantia Book’s portrayal of the essence of religion as a personal relationship with God, the expanded description of the life and teachings of Jesus, and its awe-inspiring spiritual cosmology presents the most promising source of spiritual renewal to appear in the last 2000 years. I believe The Urantia Book will be a key factor in the resurgence of mainline Christianity and other progressive religious movements, and establish them as the cutting edge of a new spiritual renaissance on our planet.
| The Urantia Book as a Sermon Resource | Fall 1991 — Index | Significant Books: Global Responsibility: In Search of a New Ethic By Hans Kung |